Elements of Good Worship
Spirituality can be fun. Worships do have a sacred aura, which is good. However, it is a myth that the only way to be religious is to be serious. Our hearts need more than just the solemn. The best kind of worship reaches a group on many different levels: physical, emotional, spiritual. For an effective service, try to touch on all of these areas. Balance is the key to worship design. Have a specific opening and closing that mark the sacred time of the service. In your order of service, interweave activities that deal with heavy stuff with things that lighten the heart.Worship should lead people gently into a crescendo of full involvement. Allow people time to arrive and get centered through safe and structured interactions (singing, holding hands, breathing together) before moving to more risky personal sharing. Create closure for the group so that participants are prepared to be in the larger world before the end of worship.
A central theme keeps the group focused. Concentrate your activities around a single idea or two. Youth worships are generally simple and informal, with the emphasis on what people are thinking and feeling. Avoid activities that involve complicated rehearsing and technical planning since they often take the focus off the spiritual community and put it on aesthetics. But don't be afraid to be creative and imaginative!
Think about how to involve the whole conference. A worship ceremony can be boring and isolating if conferees feel like an audience; group participation builds unity. For example, instead of having someone sing to the group, ask him or her to lead the group in song.
Be sure to give adequate space for people to participate as individuals in addition to group-building exercises. Meditation and reflection are important parts of processing human feelings. Just having quiet space can be what many people need, especially if the worship theme is intense.
For more information contact youth @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, April 18, 2008.
